Primrose's Hunger Games
by MangoSmoothie6
Summary: What if Katniss wasn't there to volunteer for Prim? This is a "what-if" fanfiction by yours truly. Hope you enjoy :D DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THE HUNGER GAMES FRANCHISE OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I had to edit this as I forgot to break it into paragraphs. Enjoy, make sure to review if you have any feedback. **

I'm running past the forests. Screaming my head off as the oldest and biggest tribute is chasing me with a spear. "Can't run forever!" he yells. And he's right, as I trip over a log, he raises his arm to stab me. "Please. I don't want to die." I whisper.

_It was just a dream._ I turn around to see Katniss still asleep. She's very beautiful, but she thinks otherwise. She gets up early to hunt, especially early on reaping day so she can get back in time. I, however, get up a few hours later. I hope I don't get reaped. Not today. In fear of waking Katniss up, I slip off the bed to walk to my mother's. There's just enough light to see her. I look a lot like her, whereas Katniss looks' like our late father, who has the same grey eyes and dark hair as her. I creep into the sheets, and I guess I either woke my mother or she was never asleep, because she cradles me in her bony arms, our blonde hair tangling together.

I must've fallen asleep, because the next time I open my eyes, Katniss is gone. Her boots and jacket have also left our closet. She's with Gale Hawthorne for sure. They always go in the woods together. I hate the woods. I can't use a bow like Katniss can, and the thought of killing defenceless animals makes my heart sink. "Good thing she doesn't hunt cats." I say to my own little kitten, Buttercup. He's not exactly a kitten, but the way he mews reminds me of when he was. He was very ill when we found him. Good thing Mother and I know how to heal, or I wouldn't have company today. He rubs his whiskers against my legs, blinking very slowly. I quickly run outside to milk Lady. I made cheese out of her milk yesterday. I leave it under a bowl for Katniss. A gift on reaping day. School is cancelled today, so I play with Buttercup for a while.

At two o' clock, it'll be my first reaping. Katniss tells me not to worry as my name is only in once, but her name is in twenty times. The reaping is how we decide who will be this year's tributes for District 12, the smallest, poorest part of our country, Panem. Tributes will then be in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is an annual event where children aged 12-18 will be put in an arena to fight until one person is left. I turned twelve a couple months ago, so it's my first time. I'm forbidden to take tesserae, as my name would be put in the bowl an extra time. Katniss does it, and that's why her name is in twenty times instead of five. From watching in the back with my mother these past few years, an unusually happy lady with big curly hair picks out two names: a boy and a girl. District 12 has only one living victor. The alcoholic Haymitch Abernathy. He's one example of how the Games torture you. The Games aren't the only thing that the Capitol does to remind us of the previous, failed, rebellion. People can be whipped or even shot dead if they break the laws. Katniss and her friend are a great example, but no Peacekeeper realises that they must get that meat from somewhere. Everyone's too hungry, I guess. My father would also be one of them if he didn't die in that mine explosion. I remember when Katniss ran to my class that day. From that day on, my mother was never the same.

"Prim. Here's Katniss' old reaping clothes. We might have to use some pins for it to fit you though." my mother says with her gentle voice. She lays out a white blouse and a beige skirt. I put it on and I help my mother fix it with pins. Afterwards, she brushes through my hair and fashions it into two braids. "You look beautiful." she whispers. I look at our old clock. "Mother, where is Katniss? We have to get there by one and its already noon." We check the Hob, the market place in the Seam she goes to, but they tell us that they haven't seen her. Afterwards, my mother stays at home to prepare Katniss' outfit while I check the fence that separates my city from the dangerous forest. We barely get electricity, so its usually safe to crawl under the broken wires. I listen for a small hum to know if Katniss is trapped inside, but its silent. I hope she makes it back in time.

I walk home, hoping to see Katniss there, but my mother grabs my hand and leads me to the square. I find my friend, Dahlia, and we walk to the front. Dahlia is from the Merchant class, like my mother used to be. Her hair is strawberry blonde and her eyes are the colour of the sky. We don't chat or anything, just walk side by side, occasionally looking at the other to make sure that they didn't leave you behind. When we get to the table, they prick my finger and push it against a piece of paper. I wince at the pain, the sight of my blood on paper. Once Dahlia has gotten her finger pricked, she heads off to the thirteen-year old girls' section while I walk to the twelve-year olds. "Good luck." we whisper to each other.

I see the two glass balls that Katniss had once mentioned. One of them are for the boys, the other for the girls. Three chairs sit behind the table, one for the mayor of 12, one for District 12's escort, Effie Trinket, and the last for Haymitch Abernathy. He is from the Seam, with his dark locks and grey eyes. After waiting a while, neither Haymitch nor Katniss arrives. The Mayor is obviously impatient, so he finally stands up and gives us a long speech about the history of Panem. The rebellion called the Dark Days, then the new Panem that gives us the Hunger Games. The rules are so simple, yet so terrifying. Each district has one girl and one boy tribute. They'll be shown off for a while like it's a pageant show, but that doesn't last forever. They'll be thrown into an arena, a landscape that could range from anything; a hot, dry desert to a vast ocean with rarely any trees. From there, they must be fight to the death. Imagine a twelve-year-old fighting against an eighteen-year-old. I just hope its not me or my sister. I realise that I'm not paying attention when drunk and clumsy Haymitch staggers onto the stage. Everyone claps, which confuses Haymitch, so he goes over to give Effie a hug. "District 12, the joke of Panem." someone whispers.

The mayor introduces Effie Trinket, who walks up to the podium. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favour." Her hair is slightly off, or should I say wig. It's unnaturally pink this year. "What an honour it is to be here, with all you delightful children." she gleems. "Now, let's begin the drawing." Effie Trinket smiles. "Ladies first!" she says happily. She walks over to one of the identical bowls. How does she tell them apart? My breath slows down as she dips her perfectly manicured hands into the bowl and pulls out a slip. She struts back to the podium and takes the tape off. "Primrose Everdeen!" I start to shake. That's me. I'm going into the Hunger Games.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey guys! I was originally going to do update this weekly, but I couldn't resist showing you guys the next chapter! Enjoy :)**

"Come on up!"

I turn to my left and walk towards the stage. My hands are clutched in fists. The crowd murmurs unhappily. Probably because they know a scrawny little twelve-year-old will die. No female victor this time. Now closer to Effie, I notice that it is, in fact, a wig, as her curls are off position. She reminds me of the clowns Merchant kids have for their birthday parties. "Any volunteers? No?" Effie asks. Silence fills the area. I stare into the crowd and search for Dahlia. All I see is the crowd raising their left arm in the air, holding up three fingers. It's a rare salute used in our district, usually used at funerals to say goodbye to our loved ones. If this is my funeral, does that mean they love me? I thought I was just a girl everyone pitied for not having any father.

"Now for the boys!" she says happily, walking over to the table. "Peeta Mellark!" I've seen Peeta before. When me and my sister walk past the bakery to admire the cakes, I always see him inside either baking bread or frosting the cake. Sometimes he's at the front serving the customers. Once Katniss had enough money to buy me a cake for my birthday, so we went and was served by his kind father. As we walked off, I noticed Peeta was staring at us, well really Katniss. He walks up to me with the same stiff movements. He's from the Merchant class, with his blue eyes and blonde hair. That's where I look like I'd come from, but I live in the Seam, the poorest part of District 12. His shoulders are broad, and arm has muscle. "Any volunteers?" Once again, silence. I believe he has two brothers, and maybe a sister? Or am I getting confused with Gale Hawthorne. Yes, Peeta only has two brothers. We're escorted to the Justice Building not soon after we enter a glass elevator on the side of the building. One side of it is a window to look outside. I peek around, hoping to find Katniss. She's there, putting her hand up. Is she trying to volunteer? I'm scared I will cry, but I have plenty of time for that. I let a tear drop down my face when she suddenly drops to the ground and crawls into a ball. "Katniss. No." I whisper. Gale is picking her up and carrying her inside.

We each get a room to say goodbye to our loved ones. My room has a luxurious look to it. I look outside the small window to the forest and the hills. How I wish I could be there. Not here. "Prim!" Katniss screams. She runs up to me and scoops me in her arms, muscles tightening. She pulls back, and I see her face is drenched in tears. "I'm sorry, I wanted to volunteer-I tried to." she frowns. "Gale and I were chased by wild dogs after we put our stuff away." I cry with her and my mother joins in not long after. "What am I going to do?" I cry. "You know what's good to eat. You can heal." my mother suggests. "This is how you hold a bow." Katniss adds, arching her arms. "How am I going to kill innocent people. I can't even kill a deer." I whisper. No response. "We brought two things for you." my mother smiles. Katniss gives me a golden pin with a mockingjay on the inside. "That can be your token." she whispers. My mother searches through her bag, until she brings out Buttercup, my adorable cat. "Buttercup!" I cry. I weep into his fluffy orange fur. "Katniss will be taking care of y-you from now o-one." I stutter. The door flings open. The Peacekeepers are coming to take them away. "No! Prim! I love you!" they yell. "I love you too!" I cry. Next comes Dahlia, who embraces me in a hug. "I didn't think it was going to be you. Or me. You only had one slip!" she rants. "The odds are not in my favour today." I sigh. "They're only in the Capitol's." We sit and chat like I will see her tomorrow, until the dreaded Peacekeepers come back to take another loved one away. "I will never forget you. Try to win!" she screams. I'm taken back into the elevator and towards the train, where we will be taken to the Capitol. Peeta walks in with me, his eyes red and puffy. "Where is Haymitch?" I squeak. "Somewhere drinking his head off!" Effie laughs. "Did you say my name?" Haymitch staggers in. He's holding a bottle of liquor and his eyes are fixed onto me. "The Capitol's gonna love a sweet innocent doll like you!" he slurs before fainting on the ground. And this guy is supposed to be our mentor? I don't think it could get any worse when I see the bottles and bottles of wine in his bedroom.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I might just do this daily from now on :P Please review and follow for updates on when I add the next chapter :D**

I rub my eyes and get out of the bed. I'm still on the train. I go to my closet and pick out an outfit the colour of daisies with matching shoes. Everyone is eating breakfast. I grab a plate and get a chance to look at what we're having. It's full of food. I've never seen this much food in my life.

"How much am I allowed to take?" I ask. "As much as you want, darling." Effie gleems. I place a bread roll on my plate with some round, flat pastries topped with honey. "Thank you." I smile, enjoying the food. A lady wearing a beautiful red dress walks up to me, holding a mug filled with brown liquid. "Is this coffee?" I ask them. "Honey, that's an Avox, the Capitol cut out their tongue, so they can't talk." I stop talking myself that instant. "No, that's hot chocolate. Try dipping your bread into it." Peeta smiles. I dip the bread into the hot chocolate like he tells me to, and it does improve the taste. "So, give us some tips." Peeta asks, staring at Haymitch. "Know that once you're in there, I can't do anything to save you. So, stay alive." he guffaws, reaching for a glass of wine.

I'm infuriated at that comment. I pick up the wine glass and smash it on the floor. "Give us a real answer." I say with fury. "What happened to that little angel I just saw, now calm down and respect your elders." Haymitch snaps, going for Effie's glass of wine. Peeta slaps his hand so hard I can hear it echoing throughout the room. "She's right." Peeta backs me up. Haymitch rolls his eyes and puts his knife and fork on the table. "Make sure you have water and food. Anything can be useful if you know how to use it. A box of matches can save your life. When that gong rings, do not, and I repeat, Do. Not go for the Cornucopia. It's not worth the risk. Now can I get a glass?" We reluctantly give him half a glass and as we do, Peeta half-screams half-growls at Haymitch. "This is the last one you'll get until we die. From now on, you need to stay sober enough to mentor us and then control the sponsors." He nods his head and slowly sips his wine. _Until we die? That'll be very soon, at least in my case_.

That's when I notice we're in the Capitol. I go towards the window, watching all the strange-looking Capitol people wave at us. I put on my best smile and wave back with Peeta. "We're here!" Effie chirps. She takes us out to a building, I don't remember much as the crazy people around us are way more interesting than her. "Tomorrow you'll be taken to your stylists, so get some rest while you can!" Effie says. I go to my room and watching reruns of the reaping's. I lay my head on the satin covers and flick on the television.

Just as I suspected, the reaping's are being shown. A large boy from One volunteered for a boy and people in the crowd cheer. One is reaped and bursts into tears. All the tributes. Bigger and most likely, stronger than me. Until I come across District 11. A twelve-year-old girl named Rue. No one volunteers for her, and we're told at school that Eleven has a large population. Last and very much the least, Twelve flashes on the TV and I see myself, stiff as a statue, walk onto the stage. I'm about to turn it off and sleep when Katniss appears, weeping on the ground. I wonder what things would be like if she did make it back on time. I press a button that changes the window scenery. "Wow." I mutter. The cityscape view changes to the ocean, sea glimmering under the moonlight. Another press turns the ocean into a forest. Lush and green like the one surrounding the Meadow. "Katniss."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey again! I'm having a really bad day today :(**

We're taken to our prep team, who will pretty us up enough to take to our stylists. They pluck my eyebrows, brush through my hair, shave and wax my body clean and when I think they're done, they do another round. "Just a body wash before we can take you to Cinna." My body aches from being plucked, but it continues to be tortured with a jet of water. Afterwards, they leave, and a man walks in. He is not what I expected. He doesn't look like the people on the streets. He has dark skin and hair matched with green eyes. The only makeup he has on is golden eyeliner that doesn't stand out too much.

"Hello. I'm Cinna, I will be your stylist." he greets. "I'm Primrose, but you can call me Prim." He nods his head and goes into a closet the size of our bedroom. "Tell me, Prim, do you by any chance like fire?" he grins. Not soon after, I'm dressed in a midnight black leather jacket with matching pants and boots. Atop my head sits a small tiara. "Thank you." I smile. "Although, what has this got to do with coal?" For the chariot rides, the district's outfits must represent their districts industry, for example District 12 are coal miners, District Two are masons, District 11 is agriculture. Our stylists usually just dress us up in coal miner's outfits. I think once the tributes were coal themselves. "Well what do we do with coal. We burn it."

I'm taken outside with Peeta and his stylist, Portia. "We're going to set your outfits on fire." My eyes widen in alarm. How is this guy sane enough to be in public? "It's not real fire, of course, just a synthetic Portia and I made." We're put in our chariots. I look at Peeta, who looks as nervous as I feel. "Do you believe them?" Peeta says through gritted teeth. "That it's synthetic?" I stare at the other tributes and their chariots. I have a hunch that we'll be the only tributes ever to die before the Games. The chariot arrangement goes in order of Districts, with One taking the lead and Twelve finishing off. "We'll have to trust him." I mutter. District Ten goes off and Eleven is getting ready. Cinna lights a flame and sets my jacket on fire. Luckily, all I feel is a tingling sensation. Our horses begins to trot. It's amazing how domesticated they are. "Off you go!" Portia cries. As soon as we come in, the crowd cheers and cries for us. A few even call us by name. Flowers are tossed to us, one being a primrose. "Thank you!" I yell to the direction it came from. We are the centre of attention, the stars of the show. That's when I start to believe I might get sponsored. I might make it for a few days. Although President Snow has started on his speech, the crowd is still screaming over our glowing outfits.

I leave the building with a grin on my face and are taken to our rooms. "You two were fantastic!" Effie smiles as we travel in the elevator. I hope we were, and I hope someone has at least considered sponsoring me. We exit the elevator and a gigantic meal is laid out on the dining table. "Is this what everyone has for dinner here?" Peeta asks while we pile our plates. "Isn't it delicious?" Portia grins. We fill our stomachs with roast chicken and a delicious gravy until we can't hold a single bite. The adults have been talking for a while now, about the clothes, the sponsors and just general small-talk. I stare at my plate, pushing the vegetables around with my fork. I stretch my arms and yawn. "I'm going off to bed. Thank you for the dinner." I say. An Avox collects my plate and I nod my head. I walk to my room and have a quick shower. The water washing me down is like summer rain and the scent of the soap smells like lavender and lilies. I start to get tired, so I dry myself off and change into silky pyjamas. I slip into the bed and begin to flutter my eyelids shut. "Tomorrow is training!" I just catch Portia say. I hit my head on the pillow-lucky its very soft and fluffy. I thought I'd be able to relax for some reason.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Please follow and give me feedback :D**

Knocking on my door. It won't stop. It's constant, constant knocking. "Wake up sleeping beauty!" says Haymitch with his usual hint of sarcasm. After breakfast, we head down to the training centre. It's when I can get a proper look at the other tributes. The Careers are the same: strong, cocky and tough. One boy who isn't from 1,2 or 4 stands next to the young girl I remember from the replays. I'm guessing he is from the same District, as her. The head instructor finally lets us roam free after giving us some survival tips.

She's more helpful than Haymitch. I wander aimlessly until the young girl, whose name I learn is Rue, takes me over to the knot-tying station. "You're from Twelve, right?" Rue asks. "Yes. It's so small compared to what I've heard about your district." We talk while tying knots. She looks so young, but then I remember that I'm the same age as her. I try to compare her to other girls I know, but apart from the brown hair she has, I have nothing. Her dark skin and brown eyes are out of place in my city. We move to different stations. As she lights her campfire, I stare at the pin Katniss gave me and whisper under my breath.

"Are we going to be allies?" I ask, desperately hoping I won't be alone. "Okay. If we both make it out of the bloodbath, we try to find each other. Listen out for this tune." Rue says, then concluding with a four-note melody. For the rest of the day, we go to different survival stations, like what food to eat, how to climb trees and how to keep yourself warm without a fire. Rue excels in the tree climbing while I stick to the healing station.

The next day I find myself looking at Peeta, throwing around weights. "Is that your district partner?" Rue says. "Yeah, his name is Peeta. My mentor cares more about him than me. He only woke me up in the morning, then went over to Peeta to discuss 'grown up business'." I answer, remembering this morning. I take Rue to the weapons station. "We should try different weapons. How about swords first, then move onto tridents and axes, then spears and knives, and then archery?" I say. The first three weapons are hard to hold, but after getting used to it, we start to practise on a rag doll. Rue and I can't even lift the normal sized spear, so the instructor shows us a smaller spear that we can share. I'm pretty good with it actually, only missing a few, but in the knives station, I mostly hit the heads of the dummies. "Archery." I mutter. Katniss would thrive here. There's so many bows, I have no clue which one to use. Rue picks up a steel metal bow while I grab out a fine wooden one. I miss most of my targets, only just hitting a few. After getting tips off the instructor, I begin to always hit them, but they are big targets. What am I going to do when I must shoot slim, human figures? Would I even shoot them? I stay strong so the Careers don't take notice of my weakness.

On the last day of training, Peeta joins us for a few stations. "I would've joined earlier but the Careers wouldn't let me come over." What does he mean by 'wouldn't let me come over'? Is he friends with them now? Or are they bullying him for wanting to help two young girls? I don't ask and don't plan on to.

It's the next day and I find myself biting my lip, anxiously waiting for my name to be called for private trainings. The days are going so fast that I wish I could have an extra moment with my mother and Katniss. How worried they must be. My mother must have broken down after I left. Would Katniss be there for her? Or has she escaped to the woods. Who's going to feed Buttercup? I bite my nails, anxiously waiting. "Hey, it's going to be ok. It's just a private training." Peeta says. If only he knew what was really going on in my mind. I look around and everyone but us has gone in. After he leaves, I start to hyperventilate. There's only 5 more days left. It feels like just yesterday I was at school with Dahlia, practising mathematics. The luxurious food and clothing has been distracting us from the truth: our certain deaths.

"Primrose Everdeen." a voice calls. I walk inside and am unsure what to do. _What are you best at?_ Healing. I watch the Gamemakers peer over at me, most focusing on the feast laid out behind them. I guess they want to see what I, the scrawny twelve-year old will do. I pick up a dummy that seems to be stuffed full of cotton. I slice its stomach open with a knife, watching the white balls of fluff pour out. Then I calmly walk to the healing station and pick up multiple bandages and a few leaves that would normally bring out infection. I lather the dummy in the leaves, then wrap it tightly in bandages. I turn around to see the Gamemakers nodding heads and giving me a thumbs up. My time isn't finished, so I throw a few knives at the dummies. I manage to hit 3 after a dozen throws. "You are dismissed." a man says.

I'm taken back to my quarters where we wait for the scores. "Honey, don't be disappointed if you get a low score. It's expected for someone of your size." Haymitch smiles. "Oh, shut it Haymitch!" Cinna cries. "You'll be fine. Even if you do get a low score, the tributes might think that's your strategy. Looking weak so you won't be hunted, then revealing your true intentions." The TV runs through a tiresome program about hair products until Caesar Flickerman appears on the screen. He goes through a list of scores and people. The Careers get high scores, the others average. Rue gets a seven, which makes me slightly surprised. Her district partner, Thresh gets a ten. Apparently, the Careers wanted him, but he refused. Peeta gets an eight. Waiting. Caesar shows an image of me. "Primrose Everdeen." he whispers. And a score of seven flashes onto the screen.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hello again :D Thank you so much for all the views**

A seven. I slip into the bedsheets, dreading the morning where Effie and Haymitch will take turns preparing me for the interviews. The only thing keeping me awake is the loud ruckus outside. A celebration. I turn around and see colourful sparks flying into the air and exploding. Is that what people do here for fun? I cover my ears with my pillow and doze off, only to hear Effie knocking obnoxiously on my door when I come to. She comes into my room with a couple of dresses, shoes and a chair. She makes me put on multiple beautiful dresses with matching shoes, then instructs me to walk back and forth then sit 'like a lady'. Not soon after, my feet begin to ache, so Effie tries to teach me how to speak formally. I get the hang of it quick. I am used to being proper in front of adults.

For the next hour, we practise my smile, my small-talk, my manners, even the way I sit until Haymitch comes in to replace Effie. "We need to figure out how you're going to represent yourself in the interviews. Most of the stronger tributes will be acting cocky, arrogant, tough or aloof. If you want your interview to not be a complete disaster, I'd suggest either being nice to the Capitol, gush about their luxurious items or be positive and determined." I stare at the clock. At least I don't have aching feet. "I'll go with the latter option." We once again practise over and over on how I will act and what I will say. "May I ask, what is Peeta's characteristic?" I say to Haymitch. "He's going with charming. He can easily pull it off." At dinner, everyone is talking about the party that happened last night. Apparently, my prep team was there. Speaking of them, I will be taken straight to my team for them to dress me for the interviews. Then I will be in the Games.

"Prim." Peeta mumbles. "Good luck for tomorrow." I reply with the same answer before the adults force us to go to bed. I'm once again rushed out of my room to be taken to another. My prep team bathes me in vile chemicals and strips the remaining hair off my skin. They comb through my hair and wash it with a sweet-smelling shampoo. My nails are painted yellow with small flowers drawn inside. Such detail for something that will likely not be noticed. My hair is out, sparkling with glitter. Octavia and Venia, the two women, take me to Cinna while Flavius cleans up the nail polish that he spilled. "Nice to see you again Prim. I have a fabulous dress for you to wear." Cinna smiles. He pulls out a dress that once put on, just reaches my knees. It's gold with primroses lined around my waist. He gives me shoes that thankfully have no heel, so I have no trouble walking in them. The last bit of detail he puts in is a dainty primrose in my hair. "You look beautiful." he smiles. "I will see you tomorrow to give you your next outfit, but for now, goodbye." I wave goodbye and walk into the elevator with Effie. We pick up Haymitch and Peeta and all wait for our interview.

Haymitch was right. The stronger tributes were either cocky and arrogant, like the Careers, or aloof and hostile, like Thresh. Rue is delightful and brings excitement to the audience. She claims that if they don't catch her, they can't kill her. I'm finally called up to go the stage. I take slow breaths as I stagger through the stage.

"Hello Primrose!" Caesar Flickerman, the host, smiles. This year he's sporting a blue wig with matching blue lipstick. "It's a pleasure to be here." I answer with a smile. Caesar asks me questions about my personal life, like Buttercup, my sister, my mother. Everything isn't that hard to talk about until he asks me about how I will try to compete with the older tributes. "Well Caesar, being lighter and smaller means being stealthier, quicker and agile. Just because your small doesn't mean you're not dangerous." I lie. In my head, I think 'Plan to compete? How do I compete against a strong, tall man holding a knife to my throat?' "Do you have a favourite food here?" he smiles. I describe a creamy fondue we during lunch in the training centre. It was hot chocolate sauce that you'd dip fruit, bread and pancakes into. A luxury that the Districts have probably never heard of. "The fondue? De-li-cious! I could eat it by the bucketful!" he says while rubbing his stomach. "Unfortunately, that's all the time we have for Primrose!" Caesar cheers, the floor dazzling with lights.

Peeta is called and is taken up to the stage. Peeta is charming and jokes around with Caesar. The audience can't stop laughing until Peeta is asked if he has a girlfriend. When Peeta replies with a strong 'no', Caesar refuses to believe him and asks him if he has his eye on someone. "Well, there is this one girl who I've liked for ever, but I don't think she ever knew I existed 'till the reaping." The audience silences themselves, waiting to see who it is, and frankly, so am I. "Well, why don't you win for her, come back and ask her out. She can't say no to that!" Peeta laughs uncertainly and brushes the golden waves out of his eyes. "I'm afraid I can't do that." Peeta replies. "Why ever not?" Everyone is on the edge of their chairs. Even the other tributes can't wait to see who it is. "Because...because...if I came home, that means her sister's dead." Everyone, and I mean everyone gasps. A few Capitol viewers start to cry, some sigh, others watch eagerly for more information. But that's all for Peeta. And we're taken back to go to the Tribute Centre.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello again! Make sure to check out my "Annie's Hunger Games" fanfiction too! In the reviews, would you rather have (first) Peeta's POV of the bread or Gale's POV of the interviews for the 75th Hunger Games (the baby)? **

He likes my sister? For how long? He did say forever, but that can't be the case. I don't say a word to him, not wanting to sound awkward. I'm offered dinner but only accept a bread roll and some vegetables. The anxiety is digging into me, upsetting my stomach and making me feel nauseous. I should eat, gain some energy for tomorrow so I have a chance, but my body won't let me, and I'd prefer to keep the food I have in me rather than to lose it all and not get it back. I take a sip of water and walk off to the bedroom. I must get up in around twelve hours. After getting dressed for night, I stumble into the bedsheets and try to get some rest. But after two hours, I notice my anxiety is stronger than I thought.

I'm terrified about the arena landscape. What if there isn't any trees or clean water. What if my throat is slit as I'm running away? What if it's just Peeta and I? He wouldn't kill me. Maybe he will? Evil thoughts run through my brain as if they were a fluid, intoxicating my sleep. I try to fall asleep, but my mind won't let me. Then I finally fall asleep, only to see a giant cup of water in front of me and an immense but familiar feeling of thirst in my throat. I try to grab the glass, but my hand phases through. I wake up to the same pain in my throat. I didn't drink much water either. I rush to the sink and fill myself with water, then stagger back to bed where I finally get some rest.

Effie, Haymitch, Peeta and I meet in the dining room where we have our final meeting. "It was a pleasure escorting you two." Effie mutters. "Good luck. You two will need it." Effie gives us a hug and a kiss on our foreheads. Haymitch gives us pats on our backs. "Don't go to the cornucopia. Run the other way. Find water and food as soon as you can. Try to work together. Peeta, your strong, so use it to your advantage. Same for you Primrose with how you can heal. Make sure you check the water before you drink it. And the food too. Don't light fires unless you can conceal the smoke and put it out as soon as trouble arises." Haymitch takes a deep breath, letting us take it all in. "Any more advice?" Peeta asks. "Stay alive." Haymitch responds. It's become an inside joke between us three now. I say my last goodbye to everyone and am taken to a hovercraft.

While we travel to the place where we will be prepped for the Arena, a lady in a doctor's uniform comes around and pokes everyone in the arm with a needle. "What's that?" I mumble. "Your tracker. We don't want to lose any of our tributes now, don't we?" My arm feels the initial pain, but after a few seconds I'm left with a red bruise. We all are dragged off the hovercraft and into our own individual rooms. My prep-team is waiting for me, scissors and wax strips ready. They don't say a word, only sniffling and crying sounds fly across the room. It's only until I'm done when they say their goodbyes. Venia, the woman with gold tattoos and blue hair, hugs me tightly and wishes me luck. Flavius and Octavia pull me into their arms and cry. I try to keep strong. I don't want tears streaking down my face when I'm taken to the Arena.

The last person I will see greets me for the last time. "Cinna!" I weep. He embraces me, letting me cry into his shirt. "I will never forget you, Prim. The first tribute to ever try on my designs." He shows me the outfit that I will wear in the Arena. It's a light green shirt with trousers and a thin hoodie that just reaches my thighs, and a brown belt to keep it all together. He then hands me tight socks and soft-leather boots. "The material in the jacket is designed to reflect body heat. Expect some cool nights." Cinna says. I shudder at the thought of slowly dying of hypothermia. "One last thing. It barely made it through because they thought the pin could be used as a weapon." He fixes my Mockingjay pin to my shirt. Now we wait for the signal for me to go into the arena. I look at the spot in my arm where they inserted the tracker. There's nothing left to remind me of it. Cinna offers me a drink and a few orange slices. I drink all the water and eat most of the orange. I pretend to eat the last slice, but instead I slip it into my pocket. The glass dome opens, telling me to go inside. "Good luck." Cinna says. "If I get the chance, I'll your sister that you said goodbye." I step inside the clear cylinder. "Goodbye! Make sure they're feeding the cat!" I manage to say before the door shuts and I'm lifted.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So sorry everyone for not posting for...so long! And it was the most exciting part (yet...) **

I'm hyperventilating. The timer begins. I look around the Arena. It's a forest on one half, the other half being taken up by a slope and a field. "40..." the timer booms. I stare at the Cornucopia. I'm not going too far in, but I must get something. Anything. There's a loaf of bread in front of me, not too far away is a backpack and a sheet of plastic. I could use it for burns, if it came down to that. "20, 19, 18..." I wish I was home. Cuddled up on the bed with Katniss, sipping a cup of cocoa. The wind blows in my face, carrying the thoughts away too. I must stay focused. Rue isn't in my view, so I'll have to find her later. "5, 4, 3, 2, 1..."

Then the gong rings. I sprint for the bread and scoop it up. I look to my left and see a young boy also running for the bag. I pick up the sheet of plastic and take a leap of faith for the backpack. I sling it over my shoulder, but the boy tries to wrestle me. He knocks me to my feet and tries to choke me, but he suddenly coughs blood into my face, then rolling over to reveal the knife in his back. The District 2 girl is behind him, grabbing out another knife to throw. "Get her Clove! I'm getting this one!" someone says from the distance. Clove throws another, but I turn around just in time for it to catch in the strap of my backpack. I scatter into the forest and refuse to stop running until I'm sure it's safe. Before I leave, I look back to see the Careers regrouping amongst a pile of blood-soaked bodies. I want to stop, sit down after running for this long, but my will to live is too strong.

After a few hours, eleven cannons blast. Each cannon signals a death. I just hope Peeta or Rue isn't one of them. I'm slowing down, barely jogging after I think five hours of movement. I finally stop when I find a few rocks near a large bush. I decide to make camp here. I finally take the knife out of my backpack. It's slick with blood, not mine though. I unzip the backpack and take out its contents. An empty flask with a purifier. There's a packet of jerky and ten or so crackers. I take out a large sleeping bag, which should keep me warm. There's also some cloth and a long rope. I lost most of the plastic in the bloodbath, but I still have my bread somehow. I take off my jacket to look for any other pockets, but instead I find the small orange slice I slipped in. I can't eat it now, but my growling stomach objects. I pack all my things in my bag and lay out the sleeping bag. I wedge myself in the bush and pretend to sleep, while I'm really eating an orange. Then I start to really sleep.

When I wake, I feel the pain of thirst. Crackers and jerky won't help that, so I look around for water. There's nothing so far. There's a few berries, but I'm unsure if they are poisonous or not. It takes a lot of strength to pull myself away from them. I stagger around the arena, unsure what's good or not with the raging headache I have gained. I walk around for what feels like centuries. I sift through the dirt with my hand but it's dry as bone. _I give up. You win, Snow._ I fall to the ground. "W-water?" I croak. Is Haymitch too drunk to realise I'm dying? Surely the other mentors have said something to him. Who am I kidding? They'd want me to die. I'm crying, I think. I can't tell, as no tears come out. I drag myself on the ground, wishing I hadn't eaten that juicy orange. I roll over, still searching, when I fall off the edge of a cliff.

**A/N: Wondering if it was too short...**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello! I'm on winter holidays (or Winter Break for you Americans), so I should be able to write more fanfictions! This fanfiction has already been written, I'm just slowly updating it. My Annie fanfic still needs to be finished, so I'll work on that more. Please review for feedback or if you have any suggestions (I only write THG, sorry). Thanks!**

I free fall for what must only be a second or two, but with my head spinning, it feels like hours. When I do feel a surface, it breaks at my touch and I fall in. My eyes open and I realise its water. I should purify it, but my arms are so weak that I don't think I can. So, I open my mouth and drink as much as I can. I can't swim, but this water is shallow. I think I can stand up in it, so I pull myself to my feet and walk to land. I purify more water and pour it into the flask.

Without thirst, I realise I'm still weak from hunger. I rip open the packet of jerky and eat one while searching through the lake, swinging my knife at fish. I think fish are the only thing I can hunt. I don't know, maybe my conscious only likes fuzzy and warm animals? I only kill one as they are so fast and slick in the water. I remember the instructor telling me how to prepare a fish. After slicing the fish with my knife, I put the meat on a bit of plastic while I ponder about making a fire. The trees are higher than the Justice Building here. There's water nearby to cover my tracks, and to put out the fire quickly. I light a very small flame and cook the fish over it. Once it looks cooked, I place a few pieces in my hand, the rest I wrap in plastic. Once I fill my stomach, I start to feel bad for killing the fish. It was defenceless. No sharp teeth, no powerful appendages. Just a poor fish swimming in a lake. I kick the sticks into the lake and run downstream.

I see a little cave opening, so I decide to rest there. A cannon fires. One less tribute to kill. Is Rue alive? Is Peeta alive? When night falls, I eagerly watch the night-sky to see who died today. Only the District 8 female and District Four female, which is strange because the Careers usually live for a while. I barely sleep, only catching three hours at most. I wake to the scent of burning hair. I creep out of the cave and see a boy lying across the river. The cannon goes. I pack my stuff and walk over to him. I take the small bag he was holding and see his arm is burnt. His hair is still on fire. Tears drip down my eyes. He only looks fourteen, maybe even thirteen. I look behind where he came from to see the trees screaming in pain. Well, they aren't really screaming, but I think they would be because they're on fire.

I run up the stream and away from the fire. A few squirrels are running with me, but they quickly scuttle ahead. The wall of fire is only a metre or two away. I think I run for half an hour, mostly breathing in smoke. A flame licks my arm, peeling the skin with its heat. I roll down a hill and into a small river. That's when the trees stop blazing and I'm left vomiting out ash. I meet again with the fish I ate earlier. Then I vomit out water, until I'm left coughing up smoke. I wrap my arm in a bit of the plastic and continue to cough. I need to climb a tree, out of the way of the smoke. I find some honeysuckle, which sooths my burning throat. I eat the rest of my fish and go to a tree.

It has a lot of branches, hopefully enough to support me. I climb the tree until I reach the top. I regret climbing, as I begin to shake after looking down. I'm at an unnerving height. I would easily die if I rolled over. I check the boy's pack. It's got two pills for gastro, a whole packet for headaches and fever and a lot of rabbit meat. I think he dropped his knife, or he could've snared the rabbits like Gale Hawthorne does. I shakily look out of the tree. The fire is still blazing on the other side of the arena. I guess I was lucky enough to be on the right side. Or they spared a young girl. What did I do to deserve this? I begin to wonder if the reaping was rigged. But why a twelve-year-old? And out of all of them, why me? I don't have any more time to think as someone taps on my shoulder and whispers my name.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Sorry I didn't update! I have been writing my Annie fanfic and forgot to update this one. I can't believe we're already up to Chapter Ten! I will update maybe on Monday or Tuesday. For now, if you enjoyed this, leave a review and if you think I deserve it, follow me or my story so you'll get notified whenever it updates. Hope you like this :P**

"Prim, I found you." she whispers. I've heard her voice before. I hold my knife and turn around to see the young girl I met in the training centre. "Rue!" I whisper back. "What do you have?" she whispers. I show her the items I've picked up over the few days. "What about you?" She holds out a blue backpack and takes out the contents. "Only a slingshot, a water canteen and an extra pair of socks that I use as gloves." I look down once again and I begin to rattle the tree. "Why are you shaking?" Rue asks. "I'm g-going to fall. I've never climbed a tree before." she leads me down and I almost kiss the floor. "So…Peeta and your sister. Must be close, eh?" Rue grins. "No, they're not. I don't think they've ever officially talked, only have been in the same class at school."

I hear her stomach growl. I've been lucky to find enough food. I hesitate before passing her a large chunk of rabbit meat. "Really? I've never had this much before. We barely eat meat in general." she gasps. "How are you so willing to give this much up?" I want to tell her that while Katniss' does provide meat for us, it's never enough. Once the meat went bad and I had a stomach ache for a week. Other times "game" must be traded for medical supplies, hair combs or cloth. Then there's the days when we don't get any meat at all. "It's fine. We can always get more. Right now, I seem to have an abundance of meat." I laugh. "Did you kill anyone?" she mutters. "No, but I found a boy who must've died from the smoke." I open my flask and take a few sips of the water. "You must be used to smoke. Being from the coal miner's district and all." Rue says. "I hate smoke. That's how we think my father died. Your lucky you're from a district that doesn't have to go deep underground just to provide supplies to the Capitol." Our mines are deep. When I say deep, I mean a few kilometres down. Our mines are so deep because they have existed for hundreds of years. Coal doesn't last forever. "We have to go up, though. At least I do. I get the fruit from the highest trees." Rue informs. "Do you get to keep the coal you mine?" "No. Do you get to keep the fruit you pick?" Same answer.

We tell each other about our lives. Rue is a hardworking sister who risks going into the Meadow for extra food for her family. Sounds a lot more like Katniss than me. We do have similarities, however. Rue tells me of this boy named Theo. "My sister's friend has a brother my age named Rory. I don't like him, but I kind of like it how he stares at me in school." I whisper. I hope the cameras didn't pick that up. "Where have you been hiding?" I ask. "In the trees. I've been able to get very valuable information from the Careers." she grins. "I'm surprised Peeta's been hanging around with them. His score wasn't that high, so I wonder why they teamed up with him." It all makes sense now. The scores add up. "It's because the two girls that got a seven in training are in an alliance. He's helping them find us." I mutter.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I found out on the day, but I hadn't had the chance to update my fanfic. RIP actor Cameron Boyce, famous for his work with Disney, passed away at the age of 20. May he rest in peace :,(**

Not long after, a parachute descends from the sky. Rue retrieves it from a tree-branch and reveals a small container of cream. I immediately recognize it, it's burn cream. "Did you burn yourself in the forest fire?" I ask. I look at her legs, skin bubbling. "Yeah, its not too bad. Do you need some?" I show her my arm which is still wrapped in the plastic. I cover my burn in the cream. It works miracles as I'm already starting to feel better. We search for leaves to bring out any infection from our scratched hands. Once we clean ourselves up, the talking begins.

"I see footprints. Two." a boy says. "They've got to still be here!" a girl laughs. The last voice I recognize. It gets closer by the second. "I think they'd be gone. It might've been from a while ago." It's Peeta. "Marvel! You were right! There's people here!" Clove grins. They run towards us and I turn back to Rue, who has already begin climbing up the tree. I have no other choice, die or climb. My heart is racing and I don't think I have taken any breaths since we first heard them. "Marvel go get Lover Boy." The District 2 male orders. "Going right now, Cato." replies Marvel. His hair is light brown and he seems to be the minion of Cato. Cato is the District 2 male. His hair is blonde and his eyes give deathly stares.

The remaining careers rush towards the tree. I just reach above their heads when they arrive. Cato tries to pull me down, but he takes my shoe off instead. He throws it back at me, certainly trying to knock me out, but Rue catches it so I put it back on. "I'll get them." the other girl smirks. Her hair is golden and her eyes are blue like the ocean. She's beautiful, but not as beautiful as Katniss or my mother. "Get 'em Glimmer!" they cheer. Marvel returns with Peeta and whilst Marvel cheers, Peeta sits quietly on a log, head buried in his knees. Glimmer tries to climb up the tree, but the trees break under her weight. She rolls her eyes and pulls out a glistening bow. _Katniss._ She tries to hit us with one of the sharp arrows, but her aim needs improvement as she misses every shot. I take the arrows out of the trees and give them to Rue. She could use them for her slingshot. Rue and I laugh at the Careers, who are too heavy to climb up. "Lover Boy, why don't you be useful and go get them." Glimmer says. Peeta sighs heavily and begins to climb the tree. Just like the other Career's, he breaks every branch.

"Clove, you're the lightest. Even if you can get up a little, try and throw your knives." Cato smiles. Clove slips three sharp knives into her pocket. She chooses a sturdy branch and climbs up to about half the height we are at, when there are no other branches to support her. They're all too fragile. We tease her by throwing bark and a few poisonous berries at her head. Her face turns hot-red and she takes the knife out of her pocket and the blade wizzes past my head before lodging itself in a mossy oak a few metres behind us. She aims at our feet, slicing the other side of the branch in half.

It's her last knife. It's made out of glistening steel. Clove pulls her arm back with her eyes focusing on us. She swings her arm forward and the blade hits just between Rue's fingers, stuck in her backpack. "I was so close!" Clove growls. Cato pulls her into his arms and calms her down, but the way she glares at us shows that the fire inside her is still burning on. "Let's just trap them. Stay at the bottom of the tree. If they come down, we kill them. If they don't, they'll die from dehydration or starve." says Peeta. It takes a few minutes of arguing until they all agree. "But if they come down…" says Clove. "I get to kill them."


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Do I update these TOO much? If I do, sorry, and school is starting soon so I won't have much time to post. Once again, if you enjoyed my fanfics, leave a review! It's always nice to see someone's opinion, nice or not. Happy Hunger Games!**

They are really going to stay here. It's been three hours, I believe. Night has just fallen and they've lit a small fire to keep them warm. Peeta's demanded to take night-watch. He occasionally glances at us, but he keeps his face so straight that I can't tell if he's making sure we're okay or making sure we're still up there. The positions rotate every hour. When it's Cato's turn, he strokes Clove's hair while Glimmer stares at her with envy. We make sure to tease each tribute. "Oh, Peeta looks like he's after Clove." Rue says with a smile. Cato looks at Peeta defensively, who looks up at us. "I bet Glimmer's angry. Two guys going after Clove, but no one for the poor blonde girl from One." we say when she's finishing her night-watch. We don't tease Clove about Cato, but instead we talk about her aim. "You'd think a Career could actually hit something." I say with a grin. Clove throws one of the poisonous berries at us, which bounces off the tree and into the firepit. She must be trying to prove us wrong, as she slits the throats of passing lizards.

"Marvel, it's your turn." she whispers. He refuses for a while, but eventually gets up and sits next to Glimmer, who is under the tree. We don't even get a chance to tease him, as he falls asleep after a few minutes. "We need to get rid of them." Rue whispers under her breath. "But how…" I stare around us. There's nothing we can use. If we throw the two knives we have, what will we use to fight the others? And what if we miss, and wake them all up? "You could jump on their necks." I utter. "You can leap onto one of their necks, and then scuttle back up like nothing happened." Rue stares at me in disbelief. I don't even know how I came up with that one. Mother must be so proud, knowing her daughter is making plans to kill a group of kids with her partner-in-crime. "Ok." she smirks.

We look at each tribute. Cato and Clove are too far away. Peeta is even further. Marvel is the closest, but he's leaning against the tree. That leaves Glimmer, and she's lying down in a perfect position. "Remember, right back up." I whisper. She takes out the knife that Clove lodged in her backpack and tightens her grasp around it. I peer down below. She's on the tip of her toes, about to leap down when I grab her wrist and momentarily pull her back. "Wait for the anthem. It'll hopefully block out the noise of any cannons." I say. "And the screams, if there are any." Rue adds. A few moments later, the anthem begins. "Good luck." I whisper. I watch her leap down from the tree. She plants her feet on Glimmer's neck, and even from up here, I swear I can hear a crack. It's very silent, but there is a cannon. Rue takes her backpack and bow and crawls up the tree. "We did it!" I mouth after the anthem finishes. I find my nails have dug deep into the bark of the tree. I don't know if I'm scared of the height or if the Careers will notice or not.

"Let's sleep. I think we deserve rest." Rue says. We tie the sleeping bag to the tree branch we are sitting on. It's wide enough to hold us like a cradle. We can both fit in, so we sleep under the moonlight until we hear yelling. "Glimmer's dead!" Marvel says. "How?" I hear feet moving on the foliage that has settled. "Her neck's broken. They killed her somehow." Cato replies. They argue about if they will leave or not. "We've got to go back to the Cornucopia eventually. Who knows if people have been eating our food or not." Peeta sighs. Cato orders Marvel and Peeta to watch us while he drags Glimmer's body away with Clove. "We'll be in the Cornucopia soon." Clove says. "Glimmer's so heavy!" I hear her groan after a minute or so.

I pack up the backpack while Rue chats to Peeta and Marvel. "Shame your district partner died. She's not that much of a looker anyways." It takes a while for me to shove the large sleeping bag inside, but when I finally do, I join in on the conversation. "I suggest you leave now before we step on your necks too." Rue and I giggle. I comb my hair with my fingers, then re-tie it into a braid. "We're not going anywhere." Marvel says.

Rue puts her lips to my ear and whispers really quietly, "We're going to jump from tree to tree. Just a few." My eyes widen in a response. I have no clue which is more dangerous; tree leaping or neck-snapping, but both have been done by Rue. Not me. I shake my head furiously. "What if you climb up a bit higher, and I pretend you're with me." I look above me. There's a few sturdy branches. I reluctantly climb higher. My heart beats so fast I'm scared I will have a heart attack. "When they leave, climb down and hide in that bush down there." is the last thing Rue says to me before leaping to a tree.

She glides across the air, like a bird in the sky. "Next one, Prim." she lies. But the boys below believe us, apparently. "What are they doing?" Peeta asks. CRUNCH! "I think they're jumping across branches!" Marvel yells. They chase after Rue, which gives me enough time to slowly slide down the tree. I graze my arms and legs, which now sting really bad. I slide in the bush and begin to weep. _She didn't deserve to die. What was I thinking? I'm such a bad person. I deserve to die, not some girl that was going along with someone else's plans. _I blow my nose on a leaf nearby. When my hysterical crying calms down, I peer at the tree we were in. It's a willow. I remember a song-Katniss taught it to me once, but the lyrics don't come to my mind at the moment. I don't bother to get my sleeping bag out, I fall asleep in the bush, until I wake up to see a clear view of the night sky. The stars glimmer in the night sky. It's beautiful, until I see something falling. It's a person, but not any person, its Rue. She lands on my neck and laughs as she does. I hear my bones crack before I can react. I can even hear a cannon. But somehow, I'm still alive.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: For all of you that was suspicious, no Rue did not kill Prim. I checked the viewer count for this story- 1, 358. Do people actually re-read this? Nevertheless, thank you so much for reading, but the story isn't over yet!**

I truly wake up to see Rue leaning over me. "Are you okay? I heard you screaming." she mutters. It was a nightmare. "I'm fine. Where are the Careers?"

"Lost them in the woods, now let's get going before they come back." It's the crack of dawn. Rue pulls me on my feet and takes me to a cave she found. It's got a very small opening, which is covered by moss, but we can fit through. I slide in to see how large it really is. The cavern is so large, I could do ballet in it. It's actually like a house. There's a small boulder with a flat top. Rue sets out the berries she got from Glimmer's pack.

I can hear a thud outside, which either means death or sponsors. I glance through the strings of moss. There's two parachutes, tangled together in front of the opening. I reach out and snatch the parachutes. I open one, which has bread with small seeds inside. The other holds my favourite dessert from the Capitol; a rich, creamy fondue with fresh fruit surrounding it. We don't wait, we dip the fruit into the hot chocolate sauce immediately, savouring the taste. "I miss this stuff! Thank you!" I smile. We dip the bread we got into the chocolate, which makes our stomach full. "I never thought I would be full again." Rue cries. I lick the inside of the bowl, devouring the rest of the chocolate. I'm now very appreciative of Caesar for bringing up the question.

Rue lies in the sleeping bag while I go outside to re-fill the flasks. I purify the water and all, but I notice my dirty nails and filthy hair. I must smell like a pig-sty. I use the water from Glimmer's large flask and spill it all over myself and my clothes. If only we had the sweet-smelling soaps. I sit in the sun, drying off. I once again re-fill Glimmer's flask and take everything to the cave. "How many tributes are left?" I ask Rue. "Ten. There's eight other people, three careers, two are our district partners. There's Finch…" I cut her off at the last name. "Who's Finch?" I ask. "District 5 girl. The one with the red hair." she responds. "And the other two…I don't know." I remember Finch in the training centre, especially at the edible plants station. She got a five in training too, so she must've been okay. Her eyes are ocean blue and her hair is an orange colour. Her face structure reminds me of a fox, with her pointed nose and the two buns she wears. Her district partner died in the bloodbath. I must've missed her name in the interviews. The nerves were too overpowering, but apparently not for Rue.

We stay in the cave for a couple of nights. We eat my bread; it was going to go old with the rest of the jerky, then the rabbit meat, then whatever we could salvage from the other packs. Most of my crackers and the fish fell out of my backpack when we were in the tree. Rue volunteers to go hunt first. "You're brave. Much braver than me. Are you sure you can do it?" I ask. "I'm sure. Can I have my slingshot and the knife?" I hesitantly pass the weapons to her. "If you hear this tune, you'll know I'm okay." She repeats the tune she showed me in the training centre. I give her a hug before she crawls out of the cave.

I'm left alone with my thoughts. I need to do something, anything helpful. I should've came with her, but who was going to look after the cave? I brush through my hair again and tie it tightly. I begin to gather branches nearby, only ones that look strong though. I get my knife and shave at the tip until it looks like a spear. I saw off the end of the branch until it's a suitable size. I sit the bow we took from Glimmer on the cave entrance. Where is Rue? I haven't heard her whistle? Is she okay? I whistle out the tune and wait for her reply. A few minutes later, the mockingjay's send the message back. I sigh in relief. I keep sharpening the end of the spear until it looks deadly. I walk to the lake, which is only a few metres away, and stab at the water, where I know that salmon live. I eventually catch one, which I prepare on a fire inside the cave. The mockingjay whistle returns a few times.

After a while, the whistle stops. I whistle back, but there is no reply. I run in the direction where Rue went, holding the spear and my knife. "Rue!" I yell. I keep on running, whistling every now and then. "Prim!" she screams. I see Rue entangled in a net. "Help!" she says. I cut the rope and free her from the neck. "Quick, run now!"

"I can't, my leg hurts." I see her leg is bruised at the shin. I can heal that if sponsors bring down a pack of ice. I'm about to drag her away when a crystal spear enters her stomach.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello again :) I have a new fanfiction in the making, it's about Johanna's torture in the Capitol. Beware that there is a tad (a lot) of violence. For now, enjoy this chapter! But, R.I.P Rue :,(.**

Rue falls from my grasp and onto the floor. Marvel materializes out of the fauna. It was his spear. I can't let him get away. With all my strength, I thrust my home-made spear at his heart. It misses, but still hits his chest. He falls backwards, but my attention belongs to Rue. I drop at my feet and stare at Rue's stomach. I can't do anything about her, the wound is still pouring out blood. "No! You can't leave me!" I scream. "Is there anything I can do for you?" Her eyes flitter around and she whispers in my ear. "Can you sing?" she mutters. I can just see through my eyes, which have filled with salty tears. I wipe them from my eyes, but as they're re-filling, I notice that we're back at the willow tree. The lyrics that I couldn't remember earlier, flood back into my brain like I never forgot. My voice isn't great. It's nothing compared to Katniss or my father, but I have to deliver Rue's death wish.

_Deep in the meadow, under the willow_

_A bed of grass, a soft green pillow_

_Lay down your head, and close your sleepy eyes_

_And when again they open, the sun will rise_

A cannon goes. I look at Rue. Her eyes are shut, but her chest is still rising and falling. It must've been Marvel.

_Here its safe, here its warm_

_Here the daisies will guard you from every harm_

_Here your dreams are sweet, and tomorrow brings them true_

_Here is the place where I love you _

The cannon for Rue blasts. I sob into the floor, wishing that it were different. That we weren't in the Hunger Games. I relieve her from the spear stuck in her abdomen and take her slingshot and knife. My brain is telling me to walk away, but my heart is saying otherwise. I can't leave her here like this. I want her parents to know I was so grateful of her. I want her siblings to know she is safe now. I stay in proximity but search around for flowers. I nearly lose my breath when I find a patch of rue flowers, and not too far away is a few evening primroses, the flower I was named after. I pluck them out of the ground and tie the stems together. I create a beautiful dress of flowers with a matching headdress. "Goodbye, Rue." I say. I complete with the three-fingered salute that my district showed me. I walk over to Marvel, who was holding nothing, not even a back-up weapon. Peeta crashes through the bushes. "Prim! Run! Cato's coming for you!" he screams. He pushes me away as Cato slices Peeta's leg with a sword. I can see the meat. He stumbles off while Cato runs into the Cornucopia after hearing Clove scream. I run away but I'm struggling to keep it together.

When I see the parachute lift Rue in the air, I cry hysterically. I'm screaming into my shirt. Peeta saved me. I don't hear any cannons, so I'm guessing he's not dead. This whole time. He was trying to keep us alive. Of course, he wouldn't let me die. He's in love with my sister, and he has been since they were younger than me. I'm still holding both spears. One is soaked in Rue's blood. I don't have the energy nor willpower to wash them, so I throw them against the cave wall and continue to sob. It's like being in rehabilitation. Every time I think I hear Rue coming back from hunting, its just a few squirrels crawling around. I don't hear anything but wind until the anthem arrives. Rue's in the sky, along with Marvel. _Thresh. Her district partner. He must be devastated._ If I ever see him, I will tell him that I killed her killer.

After the guilt of letting Rue hunt alone vanishes, I'm left with the guilt of murder. I killed him. His family wants me dead. He might've had a girlfriend that was expecting him to come back home. I remind myself it was revenge for killing Rue. But we all don't deserve to die. Not this young, anyways. I cocoon myself in the sleeping bag once their faces disappear. My dreams are filled with the two tributes tonight. I open a door to see Marvel dropping dead. I quickly shut it and re-open to see Rue at the door, still lively and smiling. But it changes when she sees me. "Why didn't you save me? I thought we were friends? You're a backstabber!" she growls. The door falls back on me and I'm now on the bed that I was on when my prep-team was waxing my legs. My arms are slowly being sliced, blood oozing out with every cut. Katniss and my mother are behind the glass, banging on the window. I begin to feel sympathy for Haymitch. I no longer blame him for his excessive drinking.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Fifteenth chapter, guys! ****_Wow I sound like Effie._**** So, I feel so bad that I killed Rue :(, but she had to die. And for those who do not know, there is a new Hunger Games book coming out :D. I'm sooo excited! As always, if you enjoyed this fic, ****_please_**** review. I love when I get feedback from y'all! And sorry that this chapter is VERY long.**

I barely get through the next day. Haymitch must pity me, as he sent a bowl of broth and spoon. I eat it over the boulder we used as a table. I begin to lose it after seeing a bit of chocolate smudged on the floor. I cradle myself to sleep, woken by the Capitol anthem. I must've slept for six hours. Much longer than I should of. After the usual 'Fallen', the announcement continues for a little longer. The announcer during the Games, Claudius Templesmith, tells us of a rule change. "If the last two tributes are from the same district, they are allowed to win together." He repeats himself around five times, as if we didn't understand the first three times.

I need to find Peeta. There is yet to be a cannon. I might be able to save him. I shove the smaller items in, like the other packs into Rue's and swing that over my shoulder. I put on my backpack and slide the bow over my shoulder. I lastly pick up the two spears and go back to the willow tree as quietly as I can. I see foot prints heading in the direction Peeta had gone in. It stops at a riverbank, which has rocks that are brick-red. They're still slightly wet. I continue in the general direction until I stumble over a few rocks, face into a bunch of dirt. There's more and more blood to the left. I walk around and whisper his name. "Peeta." I hear mumbling and whisper one more time. "I've heard you can kill. You might do some damage if you step on me." The voice is under my feet. I realise I'm standing right next to Peeta, but he's camouflaged into the dirt. "Peeta!" I gasp. I use a log to wedge him out of the dirt, and then I drag his heavy body into the stream. I get him to remove his shirt and I clean the cuts on his stomach and disinfect them with the leaves that Rue and I used to bring out bacteria. He takes off the rest of his clothing and I clean it in the stream. After he puts most of his clothes back on, I assess the damage on his leg. It's right down to the bone. I begin to work, adding more leaves and wrapping it tightly in cloth. But I can't lie to him about the veins rushing through his leg, the fever burning his head. "You have blood-poisoning. We can't heal it without the proper medication." I say calmly. "But we are going to get that medication." He laughs and uses a nearby log to lift himself up. "Primrose, where are we going to get that medication?" he asks. "Sponsors?" I say uncertainly.

Just putting little pressure on his leg weighs him down, so I drag him back to the cave. It takes hours, I have to stop every five minutes, but I eventually get to the cave before dark. "Sorry." Peeta mumbles. "I must weigh a ton. Too much for a twelve-year-old." I shake my head, although my muscles ache. "There's a very large cave in here." I say. I use the spear Marvel had to make the opening bigger. Peeta is just able to step through before he sits down. "So, that's why you always stared at Katniss. You were in love with her." I giggle. "Laugh all you want. I'll still be dead at the end of the day." I shake my head again and give him a pill for a headache. I take Rue's socks out of her pack and soak them in the lake water. I hold them to Peeta's forehead. "We need that medicine. Are you hungry?" I ask. "No, I actually haven't been hungry in days."

That's when I realise how bad his fever has gotten. I force him the rest of the broth and make him eat fish, but most of it comes back up. I hand him a gastro pill and give him another serving, but with less fish. He holds it down, luckily. I let him rest while I spear fish. How have I suddenly become a killer? I am an awful human being. I manage to get three fish before heading back to Peeta. His fever has gotten worse in the past hour. "That was your friend. The little girl that died, right?" he says. "Yes. Her name was Rue. But Peeta, why are you in love with Katniss. I've never seen you two even talk." Peeta smiles and stares at the cave wall. "I don't want to bore you with details," he says, "My father recognized you as the daughter of his old crush. He said 'See that girl. I used to love her mother, until she gave up everything for the coal miner.' Then I said, 'But why would she want a coal-miner when she could've had you?'. My father answered with 'Because when he sang, even the birds stopped to listen.'" I nod my head. It's true. I was only six, but I do remember him singing songs outside, the birds suddenly going quiet. "When Katniss' music teacher asked everyone if they knew the valley song, her hand went straight up. She was called onto the stage, her hair in two braids instead of one, wearing a red plaid dress." So far, everything is true. Except, I now own the red plaid dress. "When she sung, I listened very closely for the birds. They were silent. And from then on, just like your mother, I was a goner." I wish I could smirk at Katniss, seeing her face blush red. I giggle and imagine the scene in my head. Haymitch must love stories, as he sends down a bowl of broth. "Eat up." I say.

The next few days are exactly like this. Except one day, we hear a huge explosion. Two cannons ring afterwards. I look in the night sky and see the boy from District 3 staring down on me. Then the boy from Six, who I think was called Jason. Usually there aren't any explosives in the arena. The Gamemakers prefer bloody deaths. Peeta's headaches are getting worse. I think he's going to die on me. I try and work out the remaining tributes in my head. _Two careers, Peeta and I, Thresh, and Finch_. The next day, we hear our friend, Claudius Templesmith again. This time, he tells us of an arena event. A feast. I listen closely, hoping for the mention of medicines. "This is no ordinary feast. There will be packs for each District, containing something you desperately need."

I tie up my loose hair into a bun and brush the dirt off my shirt. "You're not going to get it. You're going to die if you do." he says harshly. "I'd rather me die from blood-poisoning than both of us die. We obviously still have sponsors." I see Peeta is one of these patients. The stubborn ones that wouldn't mind dying. I roll my eyes and sit down next to him. "You're right. I'm sure our sponsors will give us something to help." I lie down next to him and pretend to take watch. I need to knock him out with something, a medicine, I mean. If only I had a particular medicine…" Haymitch!" I find myself whispering. "Have anything to offer?" Funnily enough, a parachute almost instantly comes down containing a loaf of bread. I shoot a deadly stare into the sky and another parachute comes down containing a vial of sleep syrup. It's a natural anaesthetic my mother and I use to knock out dying or restless patients. Peeta obviously won't willingly take it, so I need some way to give it to him. I could give it to him now, but he might wake up. I suddenly get a flashback from when I six and had the flu, and the medicine my mother offered was so vile that I refused to take it. My mother gave the liquid in a mash-up of berries and served it to me on bread. I'll have to do the same for Peeta. I hope the other tributes don't go after me. Maybe if I wait…no, the Careers would've taken the packs. I try to think like Rue. Brave and willing to do an endangering task. I could hide in the Cornucopia and run when I get my pack. I smile at Peeta and tell him that I'm getting some berries for jam. He makes me drop my spear, obviously doubting me.

I gather blueberries and raspberries and mix it with the sleep syrup. It smells sickly sweet, but I should be able to pass it off as jam. I slip back into the cave and serve it on bread. He takes a bite and raises his eyebrows. "What type of fruit is in this?" I take a deep breath and put on a fake smile. "Oh, just a few blueberries, raspberries and some honey apples." Peeta takes another mouthful of the bread and chews it slowly. "Honey apples?" he asks. "We have them around our backyard." I lie. "Very sweet. But it's very familiar…" His eyes flicker in recognition. He tries to spit it out, but I clamp my hand over his mouth and squeeze his nose. He's eventually out like a light. I pick up my spear and bring the two knives. I have the rest of the bread in my pocket in case I need to eat. His fever is heating up his body, so I remove his jacket and put it over me. He won't need it, and Doctor Everdeen won't be there to take it off him when hot day arrives. I take one last glance at Peeta before heading out.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Oh my glob (A.T reference :P). This fic has gotten almost ****_2000 _****views. I am 1. surprised that people read AND enjoy it and 2. so grateful that you do. Really, I am. Anyways, here is the sixteenth chapter :D Hope you enjoy!**

I head in the direction of the willow tree. It's hard to see in the midnight fog, but I can still make out the bloodstains on the floor where Marvel died. I continue further past the foliage until I see the cornucopia. The horn shaped metal that will soon contain the packs. I run in and hide behind a sack. My heart is thumping so hard, I feel like it may fall out. I need to win this; for Katniss. She can't lose me. If she loses me, she'll lose my mother. Then she won't have any family left. I slow down my breathing enough so I can listen out for the Career's. It's only Cato and Clove. They definitely think they're going to win, with Peeta injured and all. I try to keep awake, but I begin to doze off behind the sack, which I hope doesn't contain a dead body or animal. I hear shuffling in the Cornucopia. Finch crawls in looks around. She must see me, as she begins to run back out when I put my finger to my lip. She doesn't deserve to die.

The Cornucopia cracks in half and a table is displayed in front of me. It has a bag for each remaining district, a large one for Two, a medium sized one for Five, a smaller one for Eleven and a very tiny bag, I could wear it as a necklace, for Twelve. Finch rushes for her pack and runs in the opposite direction. I go for my pack. If I got one of the other packs, I'm surely dead. I run towards the forest when Cato wrestles me to the ground and tries to squeeze my neck. I squirm around and do anything I can; spit, kick, punch, bite. But he eventually grasps my neck, but I feel no pressure. "Any last words?" he cackles. "I promised Clove I'd let her have you, but since she found your little friend, she decided I could have this kill." I think of something I want to say. Something that would astonish him, even if it wasn't true. "Lucky I killed Marvel. I wasn't planning on telling you, but when he was taking his shift, I saw him kissing Clove. But now that he's dead, guess you don't care." I smile. He begins to squeeze my neck. "Liar." he hisses. "She wouldn't do that to me. She even laughed when we saw you kill him after we killed your little friend. What was her name? Rue?"

Out of nowhere, someone yanks Cato off of me and throws him onto the ground. Cato, enraged, stands up and wields his deadly sword. But Thresh punches his throat as he does. Cato falls to the ground, his breaths short and in spurts. "The little girl? Did you kill her?" Thresh booms. His voice is so powerful and deadly. "No, no it wasn't me. It was the boy from One." Cato chokes. Thresh calls him a liar and kicks him in the stomach. "Did you know her?" Thresh asks me. I nod my head in fear. "Yes. We were in an alliance. I killed the boy from One after she was speared. Then I sung her to sleep." Thresh looks at me, then at the spear I'm holding in my frozen hands. "To sleep?"

"To death, I mean."

Thresh glances at me one more time before stumbling in the direction of the table. "Just this time, Twelve. For the little girl." Thresh kicks Cato once more in the chest and scoops up the rest of the packs. I dash away, but before I go into the woods, I see Clove kneeling beside Cato, salty water reflecting the sunlight off her face. I think I hear a cannon, but it sounds like twenty. My head aches from hitting the floor so hard, so I walk into a few trees which draws some blood. I stumble into the cave and take out a pristine needle which holds a shining medicine. I roll up Peeta's sleeve and inject the needle, reminding me of the hovercraft ride here. I take it out and carefully slide it back into the pack. My head's spinning now and I see three Peeta's staring back at me. "Prim? What's wrong!" I can't focus on everything. "Prim!"


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello again! Happy Hunger Games (Sorry im in a rush)!**

I rise my head only to feel a force weighing me down. "Peeta?" I whisper. "Are you there?" I turn my head to see him staring at the cave. "Whatever you gave me, it worked. My leg's almost healed." he whispers. "I saw Cato in the sky. Not to sound rude, but I didn't believe you killed him." I swallow a headache pill down with a sip of water. "I didn't kill him, Thresh did." Rain starts to pour, drumming on the cave wall. "Poor Clove. She was in love with him." Peeta sighs, "She's out for Thresh's blood for sure." I can't imagine Thresh being killed by a girl younger than him. It doesn't sound realistic, but when that girl is a Career with the wicked ability to throw knives, it makes a bit more sense. "I ate a few fish. Sorry." I stare at the left-over bones from the salmon. "That means you're getting better." After drinking the water in the flask, my headache begins to go away. I lift myself up and examine Peeta's leg. He's correct, it's almost brand new, just a strip of baby-pink skin. I feel his forehead and find it's not as burning, but still warm. I feed him a headache pill and attend to my concussion. I have a lump on the back of my head, but it's not that large, so I don't worry about it.

"Peeta, you know how Cato and Clove are in love? Why didn't they announce it in the interviews? To get more sponsors, you know." I ask. He laughs at my response and begins to sit upright. I feel a spark of joy in the back of my heart. He might make it…we might make it. "They started dating only a year ago." Apparently, they thought it would be useless as they were Careers, but I think it's more than that. I think he doesn't-well, didn't have the heart to reveal himself in love with his fellow tribute. If Katniss came a little earlier, she may have been in the same position. "They met at their Career training. They were both top in the class, and you know how competitive District Two can be. They absolutely hated each other until one day, Cato saw Clove sulking in the corner. Her parents were killed by a burning building. Cato took her in and they both realized they had feelings for the other. They dated from then on, and here we are now." Peeta says. "Well, this is what I over-heard Cato saying to Marvel. I have no idea if it's true or not." I peer outside and there's a layer of fog. I check over the food we have. Only a piece of bread. I hope Peeta's better by tomorrow or else we're going to starve. This is where Katniss would have great "Tomorrow, we're going to hunt. I can only hunt fish but I can recognize berries very well. Do you have any hunting skills?" Peeta looks through my backpack and takes out the thin rope I had. "I could snare a few things. The instructor back at the training centre said I could catch a few rabbits if I listened to her advice." _Peeta, she said that to all of us._ Nevertheless, when the fog clears up at dawn, I hand him the knife and rope. I let him go make a snare while I get my spear and go to the lake. I only see about ten fish swimming around, but because they're so slick and iridescent, there may be less. I lift my arm high in the air and bring it down on the fish. I miss multiple times, my guilt for killing so many defenceless animals growing stronger every time. I eventually stab one in the tail. It's an ugly orange colour, but fish is fish. I wash the bowl that contained the fondue and lay the fish inside. If only it filled up. The sun has moved to the centre of the time, signalling that it's midday. I creep inside the cave and build a small fire. I let the fire warm the bowl and I go back outside to Peeta. He's sitting on a leg, panting.

"What happened?" I ask.

"I set up 3 snares about sixteen metres apart. I dozed off after a while and forgot about them. When I ran back, I found a rabbit. The rest were broken. He shows me the poor rabbit, and I'm glad it's actually dead or I'd probably try and heal it. "It's something. Not very much, but something." I say. I force Peeta to skin and wash the animal, as I don't feel like crying today. "Prim, how have you made it this far. I don't want to sound rude, but if we did win, you'd be the youngest victor ever." I stare at Marvel's crystal spear. I have no idea where I put Glimmer's bow, but I doubt anyone left could use it. "It's because of Rue. She was the real survivalist. Apart from healing you, I've been copying basically everything she has done." I'm glad there's another thing I'm familiar with-cooking. I add cook rabbit stew and add wild rosemary for extra flavour. We eat it with the silver spoons I've collected from the broths. Peeta demands to go find more berries for dessert, so I allow him to wander around the proximity of the cave. The good thing is that he's walking. But if it took his breath just to run 70 metres, what if he's running for endless amounts of time while dodging knives? I don't want to go back into a tree again, and I don't think Peeta has the right weight. It's been an hour. He hasn't gotten back to me at all. I walk around the cave, but there is no sign of the blonde boy. "Peeta?" I whisper. My hysteria rises when I hear a cannon.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey again! I have no idea what to say for Author Notes anymore... Check out my other fics if you liked this one! I have finally decided to do a different topic (i just need to see if the game is there as an option). Please review, and there is a follow/favourite button if you really liked this!**

I call his name but there is no reply. It's got to be him, and if it was him, that means I'm left alone. I walk past the lake and finally find him crouching next to a berry bush. "Peeta! I thought that was you!" I scream. "Why didn't you answer me."

"I guess I was too far away. Good news is that we've got more berries. He points at a piece of my plastic that holds a few familiar berries. They're purplish-blue and remind me of blueberries. "Wait, I had more than that." He cradles a handful and gives me one, and I'm about to take a bite when I realise why they're so familiar. _Nightlock. _I slap Peeta's hand so hard it bruises straight away. "Don't eat that! It's nightlock!" I shriek, "You'll be dead before it hits your stomach." I remember this from father. In the middle of spring, he took us to the outskirts of the Meadow to pick berries. I, only being six, waddled over to the nearest book and plucked a few nightlock. I gave them to Katniss, who also redeemed them as safe. But when we showed father, he looked at Katniss sternly in the eye and said "_Not these, Katniss. Never these. They're nightlock. You'll be dead before they hit your stomach._"

Not too far away is a body lifted into the air. I don't recognize who the tribute is until she's out of the way of the sun and her orange hair is twinkling like a diamond. "It's Finch." I mutter. "The girl from District 5." Peeta's eyes wide and he urges me up a tree. "Go! Clove could be here any minute now!" he yells. My shaky feet just touch the branch when I shake my head. "No, Peeta, she's your kill." I gasp. "How is she my kill? I haven't seen her since the bloodbath. Now quickly, get up!" I'm pushed towards the tree, but I plant my feet firmly on the ground. "The nightlock berries. She stole them and must've thought they were safe. I didn't see them in the training centre, so she mustn't have known what they were." His hands sweep the blond curls out of his eyes. "Do you realise who's left? Thresh and Clove. They can easily kill both of us." I hadn't thought of that. Clove looks fairly young, maybe fifteen or sixteen? Thresh already looks like an adult. His powering voice, his determination to avenge Rue; he has to be eighteen.

"Let's just keep to ourselves. As you said, Clove is out for Thresh. Perhaps they will kill each other, and we can be victors." I shrug. Even though I wasn't serious, Peeta agrees. We sit quietly in the cave and talk about life back in District Twelve. I tell Peeta about my precious kitten, Buttercup, and he tells me about his rowdy brothers. His mother hits him if he messes up one of the amazing baked goods they create.

"When I was younger, Katniss used to take me to your bakery to see the cakes. Did you ice them?" I ask. "Yeah, I did. Did you like them?" I nod my head and tell him of my favourite. It was the cake that Katniss bought. It was expensive, but she got plenty of money after bringing 2 deer and 3 rabbits to the Hob. It had a chocolate-flavoured base, but that's not what made it lovely. Adorning the cake was delicious chocolate icing, topped with strawberries and whipped cream. I almost burst into tears when it was finished. "I'm n-never going to see it again. Or K-Katniss." I weep. Peeta strokes my head and tells me I'm going to make it, but I know the truth. What if Peeta dies right now? From a heart-attack or stroke? The chances of that is unlikely, but it can happen. I know Thresh wouldn't care, but Clove would see Peeta being picked up by the hovercraft and know I'm alone.

I calm down, not willingly, but because of the ruckus I was making. Peeta offers to take first watch, which I allow as I haven't slept in ages. My dreams are filled with Katniss, singing a song to me because I'm crying. Then it's suddenly my birthday again and I'm eating the cake while my mother is staring off into the distance. They finally stop when Rue flutters down onto my shoulder. "Hello Prim." she whispers in an angelic voice. "It'll be okay. You're going to see Katniss again." The dream feels so real. I try to talk back, but she covers my mouth and flies back into a cloud.

I'm woken by Peeta. "A cannon went!" he screams. I look around and peek out the entrance. I just see the body enter the hovercraft. A muscly body. "How did Clove kill him?" I scream back. Now we know how deadly Clove really is with her knives.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Agh, this was hard to write. I don't want to self-promote for my other fic, but if you like cats, check out the fic "Neko Astume: How I Got My Momento" I wrote. It's based off cats from an adorbs phone app. Anyways, hope you enjoy this chapter!**

There's no water in the lakes anymore. We only have the water in our flasks. "We should head to the Cornucopia now." Peeta says. "We have the advantage." He pleads with me for several minutes before I give up. I only take my spear, as Marvel's is too heavy. I give Peeta one knife and take the other. I'd take the bow as well if we still had it. Peeta holds Marvel's spear and we wrap food and put it in our pockets. As we walk, I notice I'm shaking like a leaf. I regret leaving the cave. We could've outlived her somehow. Peeta reassures me with a smile, which I return, but I still kick myself in the shin. We reach the Cornucopia and Peeta begins to climb when he shrieks in pain.

My heart is racing and my breath is even faster. "Don't touch it! It's burning hot!" I almost fall over from lack of breath. "That's it?! I thought you got hit!" I hiss. He apologizes and proposes the idea of waiting inside the Cornucopia. It's empty except for the few mysterious sacks. We crawl behind them and hold our breath. We hear nothing except for each other's occasional whispers. It suddenly gets really dark. I look outside and the sun has set. "Why are they making it night-time already?" I ask. "To make it end quicker?" Peeta pulls me out of the corner I was hiding in and orders me to climb the metallic walls of the Cornucopia. The moon seems to be fixed at the horizon, but it slowly rises. After we get up, my ear catches the sound of footsteps. We get our weapons ready in our hands. Once closer, the footsteps multiply. Not long after, Clove rushes out of the forest with a purple face. She climbs up the Cornucopia and doesn't even look at us. I turn back around and wonder why she was running for that long. The wolves piling out of the forest answers my question. The beasts try to scale the statue we're on, but they fail. I peer over the edge and take full view. They're not normal wolves-they're muttations. Animals created by the Capitol in their labs, always bad. We learn at school that muttations, or mutts for short, are made by mixing different types of DNA. These mutts have mostly wolf DNA of course, but there's something else. It only takes the way they move their paws, their ability to stand on their hind legs for long periods of time, their oddly familiar eyes to make me realise that they're part human. Not any human, the dead tributes. I can tell from the largest mutt; a brown furred one with hazel eyes. It's Thresh.

"Do you think…those are the tributes eyes?" Peeta asks. I didn't even care about the eyes, only if it was their brains inside. There's a fox-like mutt with a pointed nose and ocean blue eyes. Finch. A small brown mutt adorning a collar decorated with leaves. Written in the middle is Eleven. All the other mutts have these too. Rue. She stares into my eyes and jumps in my direction. "I have no idea. They're attacking whoever they can though." I have never felt more horrified in my life. I back into someone behind me. "Can they climb it?" Clove asks. I forgot she was there. "No." Peeta says back, followed by a large amount of coughing. "What's wrong?" I ask, slowly turning to my right. Peeta's not there though. He's on the ground with a knife stuck in his back. There's blood pouring out of the wound. The mutts rattle the Cornucopia, knocking both me and Clove to our feet. "Peeta!" I cry. His breaths are short. I only have a minute or so. Clove focuses on the mutts as I talk to Peeta. "Peeta!" I scream. He grabs my hand and holds it to his chest. "When you get home…tell Katniss I love her. Tell Katniss I died for her." I nod my head. I have to win, not only for me, but for Rue and Peeta. The cannon fires, signalling Peeta's death. I let the tears pour before wiping them off. I grab my knife and don't think twice before rushing into Clove.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Ooh! Who's going to win-Clove, the knife expert, or Prim, the healer? Find out by reading the chapter! Thank you for the reviews! Please send more through, I really like to hear what you think of my stories. Anyways, enjoy and press favourite if you like it!**

I rush into her, pushing her off balance. Her legs swing over the mutts, just out of reach from their deadly teeth. Clove kicks me off her and steps on my stomach. I don't give up though. I use all my strength to push her off me. She's weak from exhaustion and she has multiple scratches all over her. I grab my spear and send it flying towards her head. It slices her shoulder instead, giving her a wound that could potentially be healed. I'm not the same girl a few weeks ago. This girl isn't afraid to kill anymore. I like the new me in a way. I'm sure if I make it out alive I will feel the human feelings, but for now, I let the animal side of me take over. She grabs out a kunai and throws it. It sticks into my shoulder blade. I don't dare take it out, as it is the only thing stopping my blood from oozing out. Multiple knives are thrown at me, but I twirl around them like a ballerina. "I knew I was right about your aim!" She eventually throws a sharp knife at the ground and it pierces my boot. It doesn't cut me or anything, but I still trip over and nearly roll off the edge. Clove catches my hand and pulls me to the centre. At first, I thought she was saving me from the mutts, but then she leaps on top of me and pins me to the ground.

"Thought you would make it?" Clove guffaws. "Not a chance, Primrose. There's no one else to save you now." I writhe in her grasp, but nothing helps. "It's your fault Cato's dead. I was blaming Thresh, but he came because of your screams." I feel a tear drip onto my cheek. I look up and Clove is crying. I've never seen a Career cry. "Did you know we were engaged? He proposed to me with a ring that a sponsor sent us. I was engaged, but you killed my fiancé." She shoves her hand in my face. There's a beautiful ring made of gold and diamonds. Glimmer also had a ring, as her token, but it was taken away from her. There was a poisonous spike inside. She claimed she had no idea that it was there, but the Capitol still took it away from her. Even I was lucky to keep my token. But it would be hard to kill people with a needle. "Now you're dead."

The mutts slow down and stand on their hind legs. I can just see their muddy ears poking over the edge. They're being commanded right now by the Capitol. That's why they're not attacking anymore. "Any last words?" she smirks. I wiggle one more time when I feel the edge of my knife gently poke my side. I still have it in my hands. "No? Ok!" Clove pulls out her knife and slides it across my face. "I couldn't wait for this to happen." She turns my head side to side, and eventually taps my lip with the edge of the blade. "I think we should start with your lips. Don't worry, I'll save your heart for last." I slide my hand up just as she starts to cut me. The knife cuts my lip and she coughs warm blood in my face. I push her off me. The knife is lodged into her stomach. I've just killed another tribute. Another career. I shove her off the edge and the mutts begin to devour her. The sun rises over the horizon but I watch the mutts play around with 'their food', letting the audience have a good show. Eventually, the last cannon fires.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Primrose Everdeen, the victor from District 12!"

**A/N: This is not the end, I am posting more, don't leave yet!**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I uploaded twice in a day, yes, but...only because I was terrified y'all would think that's the end! No-no-no!**

A fanfare blows. I don't know if I should smile or cry, so I do both. A hovercraft arrives and a ladder descends from a hatchet. I climb onto it, but it freezes my muscles. It's sending out electric waves that freeze your muscles. It's usually used to slow down muscle movement when doing surgery. My eyes are fixed in front of me and I slowly rise, the forest slowly shrinking. The floor underneath me shuts and I fall to the ground. A pool of blood forms underneath me. A nurse takes me to a hospital room and gives me a needle. I fall asleep, only to be welcomed by nightmares.

I wake up after the procedure. I'm whisked to the Tribute Centre, where I will rest until the replays of the Games. When I reach the level, there they are. Cinna, Portia, Effie and Haymitch. I can't contain my gratitude. I run straight into Haymitch's arms, which surprises me. "Good job, sweetheart." He whispers. I spin over to Effie who just pats my head and cries. Cinna congratulates me and shakes my hand but before I go to Portia, he mutters "I knew you'd make it." Portia sobs into my hair after congratulating me. "I-I'm so s-sorry about P-Peeta. I couldn't s-save him." I weep. They all tell me it wasn't my fault, but I disagree. Haymitch and Cinna order me to rest. I try to fight back, but Haymitch gives me a shot of what I think is an anaesthetic.

I walk over to my room and slump on the bed. I let the tears rack my body before being dragged into nightmare about Marvel's blood splattering a window. Following it is Rue being stabbed repeatedly with my knife. I don't stop despite her bird-like wails. Then comes Cato, who's repeatedly hitting my throat until I can't breathe. Nightmare after nightmare. Mutts attacking, Clove choking on her own blood. I don't think I'll ever wake up until I see Peeta stroke my arm. "It's okay. I knew you'd make it. Stay strong for me, okay?" He fades away and I'm woken by Effie. "You've been out for two whole days! Whatever they gave you, it worked like a charm!" My prep-team rolls in a cart full of make-up. They force me to shower and then lather my face in foundation and pale lipstick. They give me a mirror as they comb through my blonde hair, removing any knots I made while sleeping. Instead of making me look older, the make-up makes me look ten. "Shouldn't I look more mature? For Snow?" I ask. My voice is croaky and quiet.

I can't stop thinking about how I am a murderer. I am a disgrace. They rush me to Cinna, who smiles at me and gives me a beautiful yellow dress. "Shouldn't I look more mature?" I repeat. Cinna gives me two sparkly golden slippers and sits down next to me on the velvet chair. "You are the youngest ever victor. We want to make you look younger for the audience, so they can appreciate you more." Cinna grins. "I'll let you grieve for a bit. Just be ready for the cameras." He says while he goes to chat to Effie. I'm not grieving-not at the moment anyways, but I take he's letting me take this in. _The youngest ever victor_. I remember the previous youngest victor was a Career from District Four. Finnick Odair. He was a very 'desirable' victor. I overheard Haymitch talking to Effie about it, but because of his beauty, Snow sold his body to Capitol Citizens who would pay a lot of money for him. At first, I was disgusted. But then Haymitch said "If any of them refused, Snow would kill their families." in a very hushed voice. I wonder, if I was Katniss' age, would I be one of them? I have been told by many people that I am beautiful. Maybe I am, but I am yet to see it.

Cinna takes me to the stage where President Snow will give me my crown. It doesn't take long for the evil man to arrive. He reeks of perfume and blood. I recognize the scent from the countless hours I've spent working on the injured. "Congratulations." He whispers. His snake-like eyes stare into my face. I put on a smile and wave to the crowd, who throw evening primroses at me. Snow catches one and fixes it to my hair. I shudder silently as all the eyes divert to Snow picking up the crown. He rests it on my head and everyone cheers. An hour later, I'm taken to the stage where the interviews were held. I've been dreading this day since I arrived here. I'll be watching the replays of the 74th Hunger Games.

**a/n: IVolunteerAsDauntless-MID-DEL-SCHO-OLER**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: I won't give spoilers, but what I will say is that there is 2 more chapters after this one. Please leave a review, favourite/follow and I'll see you in two days for the next chapter :D**

The crowd screams with joy as I sit on the chair where the other 73 victors have sat before. "Welcome, Primrose!" Caesar Flickerman cheers, his midnight blue hair looking slightly more glittery. Is even possible? Last time I saw him, he reminded me of a disco-ball. "Congratulations! I knew from when I saw you in that fiery costume that you wouldn't let us down! Who wouldn't?" The crowd roars in answer. I smile nervously and brush the hair out of my face. "Are you ready to see your victory?" _No! I'd rather die than watch it!_ I look at Haymitch in the depth of the crowd, who points at the screen and shrugs. _Great help, mentor_. It's like I'm going through one of the dreaded nightmares. I see my spear kill Marvel, his spear kill Rue. They cut out the part where I covered her in flowers. I hope her family still got to see them though. There's me, nursing Peeta. I weep silently, watching Peeta die in front of me. When I see myself take Clove's life, I wail. "Anything wrong?" Caesar asks. "I'm sorry, I'm just…" the audience silences themselves. "Crying tears of joy?" he grins. I nod my head and let the rest of the tears stream down. "I didn't think I'd do so well. I don't think anyone did."

The screen goes blank and all the attention is on me. "So, Prim, we see you're an excellent healer. I'm guessing that's how you got your seven!" I give a cheeky grin to the audience and hold my finger to my lips. I hope this makes up for the crying. "Now, you're the youngest ever victor. You are a whole _two years _younger than Finnick Odair, when he was fourteen, of course. What do you have to say?" I taste salt in my mouth from the tears. _What?_ I gulp and think for a second. "I'm proud of myself."

"Primrose, I'm pretty sure we all heard you mention a boy from your District. Rory?" I blush in response. "What about him?" I say as fix my posture. "Oh, we get it. Trying to play dumb? We know you like him." _Oh great. _All of my biggest fears are coming true; killing someone, embarrassing myself in front of a crowd, now my crush knowing I like him.

Caesar wraps up the interview and I'm whisked to the train centre. I wave goodbye to Cinna and Portia, who remind me of the Victory Tour in a few months. I sit in the train and a snack when I realise I'll be able to see Katniss and my mother, even Buttercup in a few hours, which causes me to smile.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: This is the second last chapter! I really enjoyed writing this 'book' and I hope you enjoyed it! Once again, please review (this must be annoying) and favourite/follow if you liked it! Quote: "They can't hurt me. There's nobody left that I love." -Johanna Mason, Catching Fire.**

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The suspense is killing me. Effie goes on about the Victory Tour, but her words fly over my head. I'm on the edge of my seat, disrupting Effie every once in a while, to ask how long it will take to arrive. She gives up after a while, leaving me writhing on my seat. The train stops to a short and Effie and Haymitch tell me to get up. I run to the train door and see Katniss and my mother crying behind a red rope. Once the Peacekeepers detach it, I rush straight into their arms. I hear congratulations but it's nothing compared to the warmth of my mother and Katniss. "You made it. We love you so much!" they sob. Dahlia comes around the corner and embraces me. She gives me a letter before Effie escorts us to our new house in Victor's Village. Haymitch is somewhere drinking up a storm. I wish Effie a good day when we arrive and I slump onto the couch. My mother goes back to our old house to collect our stuff, so Katniss begins to tease me about Rory. "Primrose and Rory sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Not that. Girls at my school always sang that. It's very old, I've heard, but very annoying.

Katniss kisses my forehead and gets up to go to the new kitchen. I realise I forgot about a lover. "Peeta says he loves you. He died for you." Katniss' head whips around and her hand clamps her face. "I had to give you the message." She races to me and begins to cry. "I thought it was a joke. Gale did too." I shake my head and we both cry together. "At least we're still together." My mother says, holding a wheelbarrow full of our stuff. I didn't even notice her. I rush into her arms and she congratulates me on how brave I am. "Wait, where's Buttercup?" I ask. My mother looks into the wheelbarrow and a ball of fur leaps out into my arms. I fall backwards and cry into his fur, which isn't too matted. "Have you been feeding him?" I ask. Katniss nods her head and smiles. I brush Buttercup's fur and whisper a lullaby into his soft ears. He meows back and I squeeze him tight.

Tonight, my mother cooks a real meal. There's actual chicken on the table from the butcher, followed by an arrangement of delicious vegetables with a side of gravy. If you win the Hunger Games, you get millions of dollars every month, a free house like this one, and every month, multiple cans of food will be delivered to your district. The money makes it worth it, along with the cans of food, of course. We can have proper medication, new clothes: we can even afford cat food for Buttercup now. "Primrose, time for bed." My mother smiles. I change into my pyjamas and crawl into bed. My mother tucks me in and gives me a hug. Katniss slips in next to me and I doze off.

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**A/N: Sorry for how short it is :O**

**In two days, you will see the last chapter. Remember to read the bottom Author Notes because I will supply information about something special ;)**

**Happy Hunger Games!**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: This is it. The LAST chapter. I hope you guys ALL enjoyed it, it was hard to write, but it looks decent at the end. Please review, favourite/follow if you enjoyed it (or not!)**

**Quote: "But there are much worse Games to play." -Katniss, Epilogue**

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The mutts are chasing me up the Cornucopia. This time, they don't struggle to come up. I look for an exit but they're everywhere, behind me, in front of me, on my left and right. Their teeth are razor sharp and dripping with blood. "Help!" I try to scream. But nothing comes out. They leap on top of me, knocking me to the ground. The bigger ones rip my limbs off, swallowing the bone. I'm left squirming around like a worm, but I can't escape. The bigger ones pin me down with their paws and a mutt that closely resembles Clove snarls in my face. She sniffs my hair and licks my face, leaving a trail of blood. I scream and scream but my tongue has disappeared. I'm an Avox. Her tongue turns into a knife and she stabs me repeatedly, over and over again. I scream once more and I start to hear it. Katniss is leaning over me and cradling me. "Did you have a nightmare?" I wipe the salty liquid from my eyes and nod my head. "Can you tell me what it's about?" I describe the mutts in such detail that her face goes from worry to horror. "Please don't tell mother. It's just because the memory is fresh in my mind."

"Ok. I'm going off to school." Katniss says, somehow dazed. I wave goodbye and sigh.

I don't attend school anymore as part of winning, but Dahlia tells me that Rory and I are officially 'a couple'. I don't kiss him or anything. We just talk like friends, occasionally holding hands. The nightmares balance out the happiness. I keep myself busy though by taking care of Buttercup and doing my 'Victor's Hobby'. Cinna called me one day on the phone and told me that I had to take up a hobby as a victor. I decided to play the flute. I'm pretty good. My old music teacher came to visit and she was amazed at how quickly I learnt.

I buy cakes from the Mellark's bakery to help out with the loss of Peeta. The mother is a complete lunatic, she yelled at and hit one of Peeta's brothers because he took the bread out of the oven a few seconds late. It didn't even have any burned parts. The father is nice. He gave me cookies for free when I came back because I helped Peeta out. Of course, this happened when the wicked mother wasn't looking. Neither of my parents have ever hit me, especially because we were so fragile with hollow stomachs.

I think everything will be okay. It's a month until the Victory Tour though. I walk inside my house and unfamiliar Peacekeepers take my arm and escort me to the office room. I see a man sitting in our chair, who holds up his finger as if to say, 'one minute'. With churning in my stomach, I sit in the chair opposite of the occupied one. The man turns around and stares into my eyes with his snake-like own. Even with more casual wear, it's clear who this person his; with his white hair and glowing yellow eyes. It's President Snow.

"Sit down, Miss Everdeen. I'd like to have a chat." he smirks, revealing sharp teeth.

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**TO BE CONTINUED...IN ANOTHER BOOK/STORY**

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**Thank you all SO much for bothering to read ALL 24 chapters. It means so much to me that you favourite it, follow it, review it. It's an amazing feeling when you get 3-4 notifications in your email saying about how people like your writing. Views don't mean that much to me. For all I know, you could be reviewing for a joke, or you saw it but didn't like it. I really like it when you press a button or type a few words because even though it doesn't look like much, it means ALOT. **

**If you have any questions, PM me. There will be another story continuing this, so don't fret! **

**Thank you all! **

**-MangoSmoothie6**


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